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Abstract

Animals are sentient creatures entitled to humane treatment and lives of dignity. There are many fields which address this notion, including animal welfare science, ethics, law, policy, and veterinary science. Such a multi-disciplinary approach to animal welfare reveals numerous best practices which can be used to improve the way animals are conceived of and treated by both specialists and the public. However, despite this faceted consideration of animal welfare, there is a dearth of quantitative means to assess entities’ adherence to best practices. As such, the purpose of present study is to develop and refine an instrument which could be used by various entities to measure their use of best practices. These entities may include animal welfare departments, K9 units, shelters and humane societies, veterinary practices, and more. Envisioned uses for this instrument include determining how a given area addresses the welfare of its animal population, as well as how an individual agency makes use of best practices.